Thanks! I am very glad you're enjoying it! I am too. It's really cool how everything everyone contributed has come together to help make this story. As we go, I am surprised myself at the twists and turns. :)

Ah, slightly ninja'd. Took too long to write that post, rewrote it maybe three times. Ah well, it still holds relevance.

Note that this is Nameless speaking, not Nameless's words reformulated through what Nameless remembers of the way the original La Siréene used to sound like. It would have been much shorter and less carefully enunciated otherwise.

I knew I should have memorized Flaming Sphere- next time we rest; I am definitely making some changes to my spell selection. On the other hand, This is the first time I ever play a druid, so making some mistakes with my choices isn't exactly surprising.

I will again be afk most of the day tomorrow; actually doing tabletop gaming for the first time in several months, but it involves a few hours of driving (and a chance to hit the Madison farmer's market before the game starts, which is no bad thing). I may or may not have time to post when I get back tomorrow night.

On another note entirely: The monster encounters in this campaign are starting to actually frighten me. Being ogled by a nightmarish creature drinking your blood is pretty freaky. And then Sandru (Probably) failed his save, hit by whatever mind-affecting debuff Scarecrows get.

The upside of all this is that La Siréene has not noted how screwed over Sandru is thanks to the mist, so she is not aware of all the reasons available to panic.

*edit* I am actually of the opinion that it shouldn’t be possible to flank while immobilized - it should be a non-action choice, especially important in situations where allegiances are not clear. Still, I do believe that by the rules, flanking is possible in such a situation.

A fascinated creature is entranced by a supernatural or spell effect. The creature stands or sits quietly, taking no actions other than to pay attention to the fascinating effect, for as long as the effect lasts. Was the fascinating effect, the scarecrow's eyes? Once he moved away... should Sandru have snapped free?

It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. Is the scarecrow considered hostile? Does his walking by allow another will save?

Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the fascinated creature, automatically breaks the effect. Should natural attacks, bite, claw, slam count or unarmed in the case of a monk?

A fascinated creature's ally may shake it free of the spell as a standard action.

I don't mean to take it personally (and I didn't mind the sequence at all, I expected much worse), just exploring the limits. So this is basically a "Hold Person/Hold Monster" combo? Seems awfully powerful.

Found this... was about to type something to the effect of the second to last line in the first paragraph. Highlighted the bigger section as it describes the condition verbatim.

The description of the "condition" assumes success. We need to look at the "power" that caused it.

From BARD Class Features:

Fascinate (Su): At 1st level, a bard can use his performance to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated with him. Each creature to be fascinated must be within 90 feet, able to see and hear the bard, and capable of paying attention to him. The bard must also be able to see the creatures affected. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents this ability from working. For every three levels the bard has attained beyond 1st, he can target one additional creature with this ability.

Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature's saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on all skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.

Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.

A fascinated creature is entranced by a supernatural or spell effect. The creature stands or sits quietly, taking no actions other than to pay attention to the fascinating effect, for as long as the effect lasts. Was the fascinating effect, the scarecrow's eyes? Once he moved away... should Sandru have snapped free?

The scarecrow's fascinating gaze attack suggests it's the eyes by the word 'gaze', but in the bestiary it says: Fascination lasts as long as the scarecrow remains within 300 feet of the fascinated creature. So I kept the fascination in effect.

Quote:

It takes a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. Is the scarecrow considered hostile? Does his walking by allow another will save?

From the bestiary:

The approach or animation of the scarecrow does not count as an obvious threat to the victim of this particular fascination effect (although the scarecrow’s attack does count as an obvious threat and ends the fascination immediately.)

I read this as the attack that ends the fascination is one against Sandru. Because the scarecrow didn't attack Sandru after Fascination Gaze, but instead attacked others, I didn't count those attacks as obvious threat to Sandru, which would break the effect. (Although this is sort of unclear, I agree.) I read the "to the victim" part of the first clause into the second clause (i.e. "the scarecrow's attack to the victim.")

Quote:

Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the fascinated creature, automatically breaks the effect. Should natural attacks, bite, claw, slam count or unarmed in the case of a monk?

I'm not sure this applies, because the scarecrow (or any other monster) didn't do any of these things towards the fascinated person (but see previous comment.)

Quote:

I don't mean to take it personally (and I didn't mind the sequence at all, I expected much worse), just exploring the limits. So this is basically a "Hold Person/Hold Monster" combo? Seems awfully powerful.

Re: the bard ability, I'm reading that as particular to the bard. The scarecrow in the bestiary worked differently.

Quote:

Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.

I see this in the case of the bard, who relies on performance to use his fascinate ability. On the other hand, the scarecrow meets the gaze of its opponent and, if they fail the Will save, "traps" them in its "aura" (I use for lack of a better word). I see that as true to how a real-life scarecrow works (crows are scared of its presence, not an audible or visual component (visual apart from its proximity, in other words, it's not dependent on meeting its eyes.)

This is a bit on the verisimilitude-nerd end of things for me, but although the "scary presence" thing makes sense to me, but I would think that it would be hard to maintain the gaze if the scarecrow is moving, and it would be difficult to hit one opponent while fascinating another (kind of a combat equivalent of the no-look pass). Just sayin'

I realise now I meant a big mistake - I meant to order the mist to "kill" the Wolverine, but i instead ordered it to "attack" the Wolverine, thereby making it possible to end the duration of the suggestion in just one round, rather than make it impossible for the mist to retreat, as was my original intent...

I would like to know what you think regarding the pacing. I figured that to convert this to play-by-post, I should truncate my plans. Thus, I was going to level you up to Level 7 once you met the dwarf Hergelund. In other words, I condensed each level from 5 encounters to about 3 (e.g. our current Level 6 - zombies, scarecrow, trap. The original Level 6 - zombies, scarecrow, trap, encounter, encounter, boss.)

If this is too quick, we can wait. I have more encounters up my sleeve. Or we can split the difference (5 encounters, 4 encounters, etc...) All thoughts are appreciated.

In terms of story pacing, I think it is a good thing that we have a plot element now, in the form of Hergelund. 5 encounters per level? I have not played many Pathfinder campaigns, so I have almost nothing to compare to in terms of how fast that is. I am really looking forward to the Bosses thought, as amazing as I expect them to be.

I like the battles... We need to get closer to a TPK, before we level. It's that f'd up stress that builds the team. Bonding. We're actually going at a good clip. What would have been the XP earned, thus far?

Guess that would be XP for plot actions or story, monsters, obstacles/chase and traps.

Let me put it this way... If you are willing to have us level up, then keep throwing stuff at us (mixed with periods of calm) until we're nearly spent as a group. Nothing left. Beaten, tattered and torn. Mentally and physically exhausted.

Then, give us a break and level us up.

I mean, lesser teams may have reached that point. But this group of players and characters clearly hasn't. And we sorta RP during combat.

I'd picked Half-Orc as a race for representing his "mechanics" in game terms. Now, as I continue to tweak (in my feeble mind) his backstory...

1) Sandru was a a half-orc pure and simple... (Nah!)

2) He could have been human (and augmented) as an attempt as some form of super-soldier/shock trooper - anyone remember the Jung in Beastmaster, or Universal Soldier, or the abomination (Marvel).

3) Half-orcs are rare and the experiment was to breed a "designer" half-orc from a quite involuntary human female. Soldier, servant, body guard, etc...

I'm leaning towards 3 as far as richness of story.

The actual experiments (genetic/arcane) altered or shaped what he turned out to be, alternate racial traits, attribute stats, starting feats, etc... And, as he matures... more of the innate or latent abilities manifest as acquired class features, skill points, attribute inceases, feats, talents.

He's obviously learning in an animalistic, cunning and inuitive way. But, he's got Int 8. So, he's a little slow. He doesn't retain knowledge well... However, his cells learn, his body adapts as a wholistic organism... and he gets more powerful over time as he "discovers" gifts intentional or otherwise.

Now, as to Quinn calling him a Half-Orc... in the interest of full disclosure, we know eachother... and he's used to me playing a Half-Orc. Let's see, Half-Orc Barbarian/Ranger (brute), female Half-Orc Wizard, another Half-Orc Barbarian/Ranger (versatile/skill monkey), etc... I just like Half-Orcs!

Appearance wise, does he look like a half orc or not? Quinn is not going to say "Yo half breed, experimental, behemeth. Where are you going?" First time meeting he's gonna call it as he sees it. Let's RP getting to know each other and having him discover that there is more than meets the eye.

The Beastmaster looked 100% human on the surface, using the human template, but underneath lies something else.